HandsOn London’s WrapUp London campaign is a truly lovely success story that’s back in 2024 for its 14th year of operation. The charitable campaign collects unwanted coats and donates them to those in need. It’s one of the biggest volunteering events in London and has spawned similar events all across the country.
They’re back next month, from November 5, to once again collect old and unwanted coats at Tube stations and collection points across town. These coats will then find new homes with front-line charities that support causes such as “homelessness, refugee, family centres, families in emergency accommodation, foodbanks, women’s refugees, (and) young mothers groups”.
Last year was an incredible year for WrapUp London. With the help of over 1,000 volunteers who put in over 5,500 hours of volunteer work, they were able to distribute 16,420 coats to more than 75 charitable projects. Thanks to the success of previous years, WrapUp London is supporting more charities than ever before – and broadening their reach to support other groups in need.
Said Jon Meech, the CEO of HandsOn London:
“WrapUp London has a simple premise; your spare coat can go to someone that needs it. Each year, thousands of people respond to this call, hundreds of people come together to collect, sort, and help distribute these coats and dozens of community groups get them to people who need them. It is a collective effort of people coming together to achieve something quite amazing, and for many, a life changing experience.”
How to donate your old coats
This year’s campaign will kick off on November 5. That’s when the collection points will go live. All you have to do is go to your nearest collection point and donate your old coats!
Collections will run from November 5-24.
For a select few days, they will also have donation points at London stations. WrapUp will be accepting donations at the following stations from November 5-7:
- Kings Cross
- Liverpool Street
- London Bridge
- Moorgate
- Waterloo
Head here to find your nearest drop-off location. The list will go live in late October.
Coats that are donated to the station drop-offs and the other collection points will be sorted and distributed between November 11 and December 20.
Wrap Up UK
If you live outside of London, you can still contribute to the charitable campaign and help out. Wrap Up UK has all the details for you. In some areas around the UK, they’ve already started collecting coats and will continue to do so throughout October and November. Wrap Up’s mission has even spread internationally.
WrapUp London will start accepting donations on November 5. By donating your old coats you can free up some wardrobe space, and help the vulnerable. It’s an easy win-win, so please donate whatever you can.
Find out more about WrapUp London, and how you can help, here.
